The Big Picture: Legend of Many

[ryukage_sama]

The most important starting off point will be the character arch-types they choose for the big three. The think the biggest reason that the existing American cartoon and Philips CD-i games are as maligned as they is because of how unlikable the characters and their interactions are. Of course, cookie cutter characters would make for a dull story, but its a starting point. Link could be like Frodo or Jon Snow. Zelda could be like Galadriel or Red Sonja. Ganon could be like Sauron or Francis Underwood. They can build a good show, but they cornerstones need to be figured out FIRST.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

Nintendo hasn't even been confirmed as having heard the pitch. All reports point to someone at the Wall Street Journal got word that someone at Netflix has an idea for a pitch to Nintendo about a Legend of Zelda series that would be a family friendly version of Game of Thrones. That's it. There's no writer attached, there's nothing beyond that. It sounds to me like this is a pipe dream for Netflix and not much else.

Yeah, if the rumor is true in the first place (which I doubt). I mean I hear all the time about people trying to throw pitches at Nintendo in order to get ahold of the film or television rights to their games only to be shot down instantly. Heck, just last year we saw a pitch video for a CGI Zelda cartoon that Nintendo turned down. Let's face it, we'll never see Mario, Samus, Link, Captain Falcon, Marth, Pit, etc in live action. Mostly because there is no point to it. They don't need that to justify their existence because they stand on their own as gaming icons. And of course because they see all the other godawful gaming adaptations and rightfully say "nuts to that BS" because producers have clearly shown that they don't know how to handle the material. Probably best we forget about this because it's just pointless.

 

[Fat Hippo]

Lara Croft especially sucked in the reboot, how can anyone say it was an improvement?

Well, even if you didn't like the new Lara Croft in the reboot (I was more or less ambivalent myself) it's not as if she had all that much of a personality in the prior games to begin with. So I'm glad they at least attempted to make the protagonist a bit more interesting, considering the old Lara was little more than an animated pair of walking tits with a cocky grin.

As for the LoZ series, I think it'd be cool if they tried. Oh, I'd be surprised if it was any good, but it's worth the attempt, as the potential is definitely present. And if it sucks, no real harm done. I mean, it can't be as bad as "EXCUUUUUUUUUSSSSEE ME PRIN-"

Shut the fuck up, Link.

 

[templar1138a]

As long as they don't portray Link as a smarmy jack-ass, I'm on board.

 

[JarinArenos]

I mean if they made a Half Life or Portal movie would you really expect them to make Gordon Freeman and Chell silent?

Chell being silent could work, but the games are structured in such a way that there's the strong possibility that she's canonically mute, and that could be written for. The same wouldn't work for Gordon Freeman, who is obviously interacting with other people.

OT: I want a CGI cartoon starring Samus Aran. Make it stylized CGI and have her rarely (or better, never) out of armor.

 

[Trishbot]

Now, I'm just speculating here... but wouldn't it just be wild if Bob DOESN'T do a Big Picture over the new Spider-man news? Like, to throw all of us for a loop?

...
....
..... That's going to be a fun one. Can't wait.

 

[themilo504]

00.30 Personally I dont think they were perfectly serviceable, maybe during the eighties but that was only because the bar was set so low.

With that said why the hell isn?t Nintendo making some new cartoons? I would love to see a kid icarus Zelda or mario cartoon, most of the people currently working in animation are already heavily influenced by classic Nintendo games(looking at you adventure time), so I don?t get the feeling they would phone it in like they did during the eighties.

As far as tv video game adaption?s go there are some video games I would like to see adapted before Zelda(ace attorney), but assuming its good i?m not opposed to a Zelda live action series.

 

[The Great JT]

Give me a Master Sword, I'll win this war for ya!

Also, I'd go a little more fringe in the shooting location and go for Germany. Or Italy. Or Spain.

 

[KnateTheKnite]

And Zelda will be played by Zelda Williams.

 

[Darth_Payn]

Yay shameless self-promotion!
I'm OK with Legend of Zelda being a "starting point" for other adaptations of Nintendo properties (which are, at their core, WEEEEIIIIIIRRRRRRD!!!) since its high fantasy setting makes it the most accessible with the popularity of LotR, The Hobbit, and GoT. And I don't care how many fanboys complain, Link has to talk to other people, with words, and he can use any hand he likes for his sword. As long as they don't make it grim-n-gritty and grimdark its tits off, because that's getting ludicrous now.

Zelda could be like Galadriel or Red Sonja.

My god...WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!

 

[darthdenim]

Just because they say "Game of Thrones", doesn't actually mean the show will be like Game of Thrones.

They want to compare it to fantasy that is really popular with the general public.

They're not gonna say "Our show is going to be like Krull".

 

[CaitSeith]

Lara Croft especially sucked in the reboot, how can anyone say it was an improvement?

You are talking about the guy who made two videos in defense of Other M...

In Bob's defense, he thinks that any series attempt at character development is better than a lack of it.

Which he just happens to be wrong about that. We all know how it went when they last tried that with Link...

Well excuuuuuuuuuse me princess.

Bob, sometimes its better to never try than it is to try and fail. I would've thought that you would have realized this, what with The Amazing Spider-Man 1 and 2 being things that exist.

At least we got something definitely good from Samus' attempt of character development in Other M: a perfect example of how not to do it. I won't condone them for trying, but I'll certainly complain if they don't learn from the existing mistakes.

 

[varmintx]

Someone should probably fix the title at some point. It's supposed to be "Legend of Maybe."

 

[Nixou]

And Zelda will be played by Zelda Williams.

Naaaaah: give her Midna: she already showed that she knows how to do the unhinged, vengeful warrior queen.

...

Now, speaking of one of the argument in favor of the series ("it would be like bright colored Game of Thrones"), well, quite frankly, if they wanted to make a Nintendo branded Game Of Thrones, they already have a much more serviceable series [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_Emblem] for it.

 

[CaitSeith]

Seriously though, my only hope that Link stays a silent protagonist. Yeah, it will be hard to do....

I'm kind of on Bob's ship with this one. No, Link should not be silent because he clearly talks and interacts with characters. We just never see the dialogue box or hear him speak. I mean when they made Pokemon could you imagine how boring the show would've been if they tried to make Ash a silent protagonist simply because in the games Red never technically has a dialogue box but interacts with the other characters.

Hell Pokemon The Origin did make Red speak and that was more or less and truly faithful adaptation of the game's storyline. Link should speak and the notion that he shouldn't because he "doesn't" in the games is stupid. I mean if they made a Half Life or Portal movie would you really expect them to make Gordon Freeman and Chell silent?

Well, Chell being silent is one of her distinctive characteristics (remember the first chapter in Portal 2). At this point saying that Chell shouldn't be silent is like saying that Judge Dredd shouldn't be wearing his helmet all the time.

 

[Makabriel]

A "Family Friendly Game of Thrones"???

What ... I ... that's not... gah... I can't wrap my brain around that concept..

 

[Nixou]

If any Nintendo franchise fits Game of Thrones, its Fire Emblem. The only difference between Fire Emblem and Game of Thrones is that the good guys always lose in Game of Thrones as opposed to merely sometimes.

Wait till Aria hits her late teens: if GoT follow the same ruleset as Fire Emblem, the good guys will win as soon as the tiny brunette with a sword finally joins the fray.

 

[sumanoskae]

I'm honestly totally apathetic on this one. Zelda is such a blank slate that the quality of this show will have practically nothing to do with it's source material. I am curios if they'll go with an epic, classical high fantasy direction (LOTR), or a more whimsical, fairy tail aesthetic (Neverending Story, Studio Ghibli).

Now then, "Gaming will be a deeply, perhaps irredeemably, dismal place if Ninteno ever decides to pull up stakes and leave". Does anyone else think this is a ridiculous assertion?

Yahtzee made a joke about the state of gaming in his Alien: Isolation review. It seems like everybody has a different idea about what's ruining video games, but I haven't noticed any actual quality dip in the games themselves. The fact that most games released are mediocre isn't abnormal; it's the definition of the word. In any artistic medium, truly exceptional works will be few and far between.

And, IMHO, Nintendo aren't exactly pushing the fucking envelope. Nintendo games are to gaming what Disney is to animation; consistent. A collection of works that average out pretty good, with a few of greats and a few of duds, most notable for high levels of professionalism and only rarely producing a product that truly misses the mark.

And just like with animation, there seem to exist a subset of people who maintain that this particular company is the sole center of good in an otherwise bleak world, whilst ignoring the other myriad examples of quality.